CVE-2015-3041 in Flash Player
Summary
by MITRE
Adobe Flash Player before 13.0.0.281 and 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.169 on Windows and OS X and before 11.2.202.457 on Linux allows attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (memory corruption) via unspecified vectors, a different vulnerability than CVE-2015-0347, CVE-2015-0350, CVE-2015-0352, CVE-2015-0353, CVE-2015-0354, CVE-2015-0355, CVE-2015-0360, CVE-2015-3038, CVE-2015-3042, and CVE-2015-3043.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/06/2022
Adobe Flash Player versions prior to 13.0.0.281 on Windows and OS X, and versions 14.x through 17.x before 17.0.0.169 on the same platforms, as well as versions before 11.2.202.457 on Linux, contained a critical memory corruption vulnerability that enabled remote code execution and denial of service attacks. This vulnerability represents a distinct flaw from several other CVEs published in the same year, indicating a complex attack surface within the Flash Player runtime environment. The unspecified vectors through which attackers could exploit this vulnerability typically involved malformed Flash content delivered through web browsers or other applications that embedded Flash Player components. The memory corruption aspect suggests that attackers could manipulate heap or stack memory through improper input handling or buffer overflow conditions within the Flash Player's ActionScript execution environment, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution with the privileges of the compromised user. This vulnerability aligns with CWE-121, heap-based buffer overflow, and CWE-122, stack-based buffer overflow, while also demonstrating characteristics consistent with ATT&CK technique T1059.007 for command and scripting interpreter and T1203 for Exploitation for Client Execution. The impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple denial of service to full system compromise, as memory corruption flaws often provide attackers with opportunities to execute malicious code directly within the victim's browser context. Attackers could leverage this vulnerability by crafting malicious SWF files or embedding compromised Flash content in web pages, which would then execute when users visited the compromised websites. The exploitation process typically required no user interaction beyond visiting the malicious webpage, making it particularly dangerous for widespread deployment. Organizations running affected versions of Flash Player faced significant risk exposure, as the vulnerability could be exploited across multiple operating systems including Windows, OS X, and Linux platforms. The vulnerability's persistence across multiple version ranges indicates that Adobe had not fully addressed the underlying memory management issues in their Flash Player implementation, highlighting the complexity of securing multimedia runtime environments. This flaw represents a classic example of how multimedia frameworks can become attack vectors due to their extensive codebase and complex interaction with web browsers and operating system components. The vulnerability's classification as a memory corruption issue places it within the broader category of software reliability and security concerns that affect Adobe's multimedia ecosystem and related web technologies. Organizations should have immediately applied the security patches released by Adobe to address this specific memory corruption vulnerability, as the window for exploitation remained open across multiple Flash Player versions. The attack surface for this vulnerability was particularly broad given Flash Player's widespread deployment across enterprise and consumer environments, making it a prime target for nation-state actors and criminal organizations seeking to leverage browser-based attacks. The lack of specific vector details in the original CVE description suggests that this vulnerability could be exploited through multiple attack paths, potentially including cross-site scripting scenarios, malformed file handling, or improper memory allocation patterns within the Flash Player runtime. The vulnerability's designation as a separate issue from other CVEs from the same period indicates that it represented a unique flaw in Adobe's implementation that required specific mitigation strategies. Security researchers identified this vulnerability as particularly dangerous due to its potential for privilege escalation and the difficulty of detecting malicious Flash content within web traffic. The remediation process required organizations to not only update Flash Player but also to implement comprehensive monitoring for exploitation attempts and potentially disable Flash content in web browsers where possible. This vulnerability exemplifies the ongoing challenges in securing multimedia runtime environments and highlights the importance of regular security updates and proper application sandboxing techniques to prevent exploitation of memory corruption flaws in widely deployed software components.